England fans are already running out of superlatives to accurately describe just how good Jude Bellingham is as the young midfielder helped spur the Three Lions on to a massive win against Italy which secured their place at Euro 2024.
Whilst qualification was still likely to happen in either of the next two games, Gareth Southgate’s side were aiming for “payback” after the Euro 2020 final according to Manchester City star Kyle Walker, and that’s exactly what they got.
Despite conceding the first goal, England managed to put three past Azzuri, making it two wins in the last two games against the foes who brought the nation’s previous Euros campaign to such a painful end, and although one goal came from Manchester and another from ever-reliable source, it was the young midfielder who earned the headlines on Tuesday night.
Not only did Bellingham win the penalty for captain Harry Kane‘s equaliser and set up another for Man United’s Marcus Rashford to put England in front, but the Real Madrid star absolutely ran the show from start to finish, sending social media into a frenzy and those in the ground to chant his name throughout.
Another Jude Bellingham masterclass in a string of Jude Bellingham masterclasses🤩
Waxing lyrical about the Birmingham-born attacking mid in a piece the morning after, The Athletic‘s Tim Spiers said that “almost every in the stadium [was] under Jude Bellingham’s command” and praised him not only for his performance but spirit and leadership at such a young age.
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“To be one of the world’s best players is one thing, to be an inspirational leader is another. Bellingham is both”, says Spiers.
“With his magnificent performance here, dragging England into the lead either side of half-time with moments of aggressive ingenuity, but also with his ring-mastering of the audience, it felt like this was the night Bellingham’s relationship with his home public was forged.
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“He spoke to Wembley, with his feet, with his gestures, with his rabble-rousing — and in turn they worshipped him, singing his name, shouting ‘Juuuude’, marvelling at his flicked passes, his sliding tackles, his dominance of the game.” Ridiculously high praise but not wrong; virtually everyone agrees that despite being just his 27th cap for England, he might just be our best player right now.
A standing ovation for Jude Bellingham at Wembley.
Won the equalising penalty and showed tremendous vision, touch and drive to set up Rashford's goal.
11 goals and 5 assists for Real and England this season. No better player in the world right now.🏴🌟 pic.twitter.com/Osy11VIXs1
On just his fifth start at Wembley, Bellingham is already being compared to the likes of Paul Gascoigne, Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard; Iniesta, Xavi, Zidane and more all in the same breath, and it’s starting to look as if England are ever going to win a trophy, this young man will play a very big part in it.
Having just joined the Spanish giants this season from Borussia Dortmund, where he was already making his incredible talent abundantly clear, he has already taken his game to a new level and become their main man, insisting that his arrival has “100% improved” him as a player.
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Bellingham was still a teenager barely five minutes ago, has already become a ‘galactico’ at one of the biggest teams in the world, is now the name fans want to see on an England teamsheet and might just be one of if not the best player on the planet right now. Big words, we know — but have you seen him?
You can see the full highlights of the Three Lions’ Euros qualification-securing win over Italy and Bellingham’s unreal performance down below:
Stockport County defender Brad Hills ruled out for the rest of the season
Danny Jones
In a big blow to their promotion push, Stockport County have been hit with a major injury and loss to their first-team squad, as defender Brad Hills has been ruled out for what looks to be the remainder of the season and then some.
Not what Hatters will want to hear with crunch-time in and around the playoffs now well underway.
Having emerged as even more of a starring centre-back this year, following his initial loan spell with the club during the previous campaign, Brad Hills has arguably been one of Stockport’s best and most reliable players in 2025/26 thus far – but not County will have to do without him.
Although the exact severity is yet to be fully revealed, the former Norwich City youth academy graduate is said to have hurt his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
Confirming the news on social media, the Greater Manchester side stated: “We regret to inform supporters that Brad Hills sustained an ACL injury in Saturday’s draw at Luton Town that will rule him out for the foreseeable future.
“Our full focus is on supporting Brad throughout his recovery – we know he’ll come back stronger”
For anyone unaware, ACL tears/ruptures are among some of the worst injuries in football, and depending on the extent of the damage, it can take anywhere between six months and a full year to bounce back.
Safe to say, therefore, that supporters have been left gutted by the update, with one commenting, “Awful, awful news”; another simply wrote, “FFS”.
After typing a very long expletive following the show news, fan podcast The Scarf Bergara Wore wrote: “Wishing Bradley Hills a speedy recovery – come back stronger!
Since becoming a permanent signing back in August, he’s earned multiple man-of-the-match awards in blue and white, not to mention contributed to a decent number of clean sheets. He’ll be a big miss in their backline.
While it’s no doubt a big setback as the League One team looks to get promoted into the Championship, the absence could see manager Dave Challinor reshuffle the pack and perhaps even the formation for the remaining fixtures.
One option is Louie Barry, who – depending on the setup – could finally be set for a return to the pitch after he was signed on a third loan deal this past January, but is still continuing his own rehab following a knee operation.
Put it this way, with not many games left, lots of County fans are probably wishing that the pending and potential further changes in the EFL could have come sooner…
Salford RLFC issue statement as head coach Mike Grady departs after less than three months
Danny Jones
Salford Rugby League Football Club have issued an official statement following the departure of head coach Mike Grady, who has left the role after less than three months in the job.
It has been insisted that this is not a sacking, but rather a joint decision to terminate his contract.
Grady, who took up the mantle at the start of this project following the end of the Salford Red Devils era, was only appointed on 5 January.
He had previously been in charge of the Red Devils’ women’s side over the past couple of years, but moved over to hopefully lead this new era forward.
As you can see, the club confirmed in a statement that they and Grady have “mutually agreed to part ways due to changes in his personal circumstances.”
They go on to write: “We are forever indebted to Mike for his unwavering commitment to the club. We want to thank him for all his hard work since taking on the role as Head Coach in very challenging circumstances in December.”
Also sharing a comment from former player turned CEO, Ryan Brierley, he said: “Mike came in as Coach at a time when the club had just come through one of its toughest times with the double impact of relegation and liquidation.
“He was willing to roll up his sleeves and bring stability to the club on the pitch. The fact we were able to field a team against Oldham in January, after only three weeks, speaks volumes about his commitment and determination. To beat Hunslet at home only four weeks later was a fantastic achievement.
“Mike will always be remembered as the person [who] strived and achieved the objective of sending out the first Salford team of this new era. A team running onto the pitch, after so much hard work, gave us all something to cheer about. We also remember how well he successfully guided our women’s team to third and fourth place finishes in the Championship.”
Sharing his own farewell message, he went on to add: “I want to thank Ryan for the opportunity to represent this great club and fan base. What we created at the start of the year was pretty special, and I’m proud to have built that.
“I’m happy to leave the club in a better place than I found it and wish the club all the best for the future.” Salford RLFC have already assured that they are now recruiting for his replacement.
Danny Jones -
18th October 2023 
